Kick :: Movie Review

KICK is a typical knockout masala entertainer that has all the quintessential ingredients of a typical Salman Khan movie ; high octane action, sizzling romance, rib tickling comedy and Topsy-turvy storyline. In fact, during the climax Salman says to Randeep, 'Mere baare mein itna mat sochna, dil mein aata hoon, samajh mein nahin' which goes for the movie's screenplay too. I mean, to relish this movie, you just have to relax, sit back and enjoy the on-screen proceedings without putting logical skills into practice. ‘Kick’ is a vintage Salman-Khan movie, one that unapologetically glorifies his every move, muscle and mannerism. Whether it’s being masked and taking on the “devil”, or being smitten by an absolutely gorgeous Jacqueline Fernandez, he’s just “being Salman”. To delight his loyal fan base, Salman Khan in Kick ; mouths witty comic punches in his own inimitable style, bashes up his opponents with swagger, sings song in his own voice & for the first time plays a larger than life character (Devil) while wearing a Krishh style mask. Sajid Nadiadwala (known for his lavish production values ) has donned the hat of a director for the first time with Kick & as expected he has left no stone unturned to make Kick a grandeur affair which is quite evident from each n every frame of the movie. Sajid conjures up a world that combines visual brilliance with several knockout episodes especially the action scenes - be it the chase sequences in Warsaw or the bike chasing in Delhi. 

STORY & SCREENPLAY                                                               ::              The story of Kick that has been penned by Vakkantham Vamsi & the screenplay by Rajat Arora, Keith Gomes, Sajid Nadiadwala n Chetan Bhagat has only one agenda : pure entertainment through antics of Salman Khan. And, why not as most of Salman's fans throng theaters just to watch histrionics of their beloved Bhai & whistle on his moves. I bet, you wont buy a bit of the story but Salman's charm will make you enjoy the movie. The film, remake of a Telugu action-comedy by the same name, is about a young man called Devi Lal (played by Salman) who is constantly looking for thrills in life or as he prefers to call it, kick. It is this eternal quest for an adrenaline rush that pushes him to do the things that he does – like help a couple elope, beat up boys at a bar (for eve-teasing of course; bhai always has his reasons) or insist on being taken to jail with hand-cuffs on, because walking in like a regular civilian just doesn’t match up; it doesn't have the same kick.From numerous references to his aviator-shaded cop act in ‘Dabangg’ to his ‘Being Human’ charity initiative, to a glimpse of his ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’ days, there’s more about Salman than there’s to Devi Lal Singh/Devil.Coming to the storyline, the story starts with Jacqueline Fernandez (Shaina) reminiscing about her ex-boyfriend Devi to Randeep Hooda, a man she has just met on her dad’s insistence, who happens to be a cop. In keeping with the traditional boy meets girl, girl hates boy, boy tries too hard, girl gives in, sequence, the Shaina and Devi fall in love. But Devi’s quest for kick makes it difficult for him to stick to one job and hence he keeps jumping from one thing to another, in the process straining relations with his girlfriend who is tired of his once-charming wayward ways.They part ways but luckily for Devi, he soon finds his true calling or kick . It is while pursuing this calling that he makes some choices and sets off on a mission to carry out high-profile robberies and in the process, meets Randeep Hooda and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. The story is essentially a chase sequence between Hooda and Salman.

STARCAST                                                                                             ::                  Undoubtedly, Salman Khan is the soul of Kick - it's like a one man show. He towers above everything else with his persona, style and attitude. In a quintessentially Salman-esque film, Salman has portrayed the character that the Bhai-worshipping audience was craving for after Jai Ho. At one point he’s a Johnny Bravo-styled cartoon, and in the next a hunk with glorified superpowers and he plays both the characters with equal finesse. Jacqueline, who makes her first appearance as a lead actress, is incredibly dazzling, and moves like a magic. She not only looks gorgeous but even her chemistry with Salman is very appealing, although she needs to work a bit more on her dialect. Randeep Hooda is restrained and sober, aptly depicting the frustration of a cop on a failed mission. Another surprise package is Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who impresses the most whenever he appears on-screen. He has crossed over to commercial mainstream cinema with a powerhouse performance as his character lets out a combination of a wheeze and laugh which he portrays to immense perfection. Mithun Chakravarty plays Salman’s father who shares his son’s idiosyncrasies, zest for life and appetite for alcohol. Archana Puran Singh who plays his mother, captures the essence of a stereo typically obnoxious Punjabi woman. Saurabh Shukla as Jacqueline's father & Vipan Sharma as Home Minister have played their respective roles to perfection and manage to entertain. Not to forget, Sanjay Mishra who invokes some genuine laughter while playing the character of a bewildered Police Inspector.

TECHNICAL FINESSE                                                                                ::         Another, high point of the movie apart from Salman Khan is its technical brilliance for which credit goes to Sajid Nadiadwala who is the producer as well as director of this flick. The soundtrack of Kick has been composed by Himesh Reshammiya in collaboration with Yo Yo Honey Singh & Meet Brothers who have composed the tracks keeping the genre of the movie in mind. Some of the tracks including " Jumme Ki Raat", " Hangover" have already become rage. Julius Packiam’s background music is outstanding & provides impetus to on-screen proceedings. Rajnish Hedao (Production designer) &  Lukasz Trzcinski ( Art Director ) have done commendable job as they have succeeded in giving lavish n rich look to the movie. Anl Arasu and Stefan Richter deserve a big applause for their contribution in action arena as the movie has some real high octane action, stunts and chase sequences. The cinematographer of Kick is Ayanaka Bose who has done a fabulous job behind the camera. She has captured the plush locales of Warsaw with utmost finesse and made the frames look visually appealing. The movie has been edited by Rameshwar.S.Bhagat who has kept the runtime of the flick to a crisp 146 minutes but still some scenes in the first half need a bit trimming.  Sajid Nadiadwala has scored all the brownie points as a debutant director and has helm ed the movie with utmost brilliance. Due to his apt direction, the drama in Kick never becomes tiresome. He has ably extracted the best out of his cast n crew & made a thorough entertainer with all the blockbuster ingredients in it.

CONCLUSION                                                                                                       ::     Logic be damned, you won't be disappointed while watching this movie & this movie gives you enough reasons to get kicked whether you are a Salman fan or not. Despite most cliches of Hindi Cinema being trotted out the ride is worth its while & is a fultoo Paisa Wasool fare.

ROHIT SHARMA.

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